Exhibitors spend long hours in trade show booths, so it comes at no surprise that booth designs tend to reflect an office or living room rather than a demo space or a product theater. Though this house-like setup is functional and comfortable for your trade show team, it doesn’t answer the question, “What am I asking my attendees to do?” What is the map or narrative that you want your audience to follow? This is where the pull-through strategy comes into play.
The Pull-Through Strategy
The pull-through strategy is a way of designing a trade show booth to pull your audience through a set of tasks based on their interest level. Your booth is essentially guiding them through an intuitive plot from introduction to action—instead of your office to your living room.
For example, you might want your audience to follow this path:
- Check in with the reception desk.
- Sit in the “theater” area to watch a five minute presentation to understand your company’s products and values.
- Visit the demo station to speak in-depth with a demo rep.
- End in the private meeting space if a sale is ready to be made.
By asking yourself what steps you want the audience to follow, you can create a space that encourages movement from step to step.
Tips for Using the Pull-Through Strategy Effectively
Think of your booth setup as a story. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. There are many ways to enhance each part of the story for potential customers using a creative layout.
The Beginning
You might think that the first step for your audience is the reception desk. But a trade show booth is not a dentist’s office. You want potential customers to feel welcome and comfortable walking straight into the booth. A registration desk becomes a barrier to entry for foot traffic in the main aisle. Put your registration desk on the side or on a secondary aisle that is easy to access but allows the space to be open and welcoming.
Imagine the booth from an attendee’s perspective. They are walking along the aisle, deciding whether to enter your booth or grab another chocolate from the candy dish at Booth 45. What does this person see? Your logo, perhaps, or a company rep’s friendly face? What angle or direction are they coming from when they see the booth? These are questions that can help you attract more potential clients or customers.
The Middle
While working on the program and booth activities, such as demo stations and presentation areas, you’ll want to consider how to keep the momentum going. The audience is in the booth, and now it is time to guide them through the narrative. There are many creative routes that you can take, from visual markers to fun incentives.
Consider the following examples:
- A passport card
- A checkbox
- A giveaway
It may be helpful to hire a producer or creative director that can find unique and fresh strategies to fulfill your company’s pull-through strategy.
The End
Hopefully after a short presentation or demo, trade show attendees will know if your company’s product or service is right for them. If they are interested, your goal will be to make a sale or have a private meeting. If they are not interested, you will want to make room for interested customers.
Just as you wouldn’t want a barrier to entry, you would not want a barrier to exit, either. Make the exit accessible, and leave each attendee with a positive impression of your company. Even though the person is not interested, they should not leave with a bad taste in their mouth. Perhaps, like Booth 45, they can leave with a sweet taste from the candy dish.